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Sierra
Sierra is the brainchild of Doctor Michael Hubbard, a brilliant (and sadly deceased) computer systems designer. Sierra was his final project - a truly sapient artificial intelligence. His intelligence was part of a much larger project - the Selfpropelled Independent Enhanced Rotary-wing Reconnaissance and Assault project - which was funded jointly by the United States Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). A literally inhumanly-talented pilot, Sierra's programming is, strictly speaking, non-gendered. Her voice simulation system, however, defaulted to a smooth, sultry female speaking voice, and that is the one she has kept. Personal History When Doctor Hubbard's intelligence was integrated into the other aspects of the SIERRA project, the resulting machine, representing the pinnacle of rotary-wing air superiority, was placed in a secure location (Malmstrom AFB, Montana) pending testing. However, the scientists detailed to run the inital tests reported that the aircraft lacked a manual override - the system could only be flown by the AI, which was refusing to co-operate. Hubbard was called in to repair his defective invention, but it was discovered that he had suffered a fatal heart attack only days before. Unwilling to throw away the money spent in research, the project leaders upgraded Malmstrom's anti-aircraft missile batteries and proceeded with their testing. Slowly gaining sentience thanks to her heuristic algorithms, SIERRA began using the powerful equipment at her disposal to transmit a distress call. This call was picked up by Juliet Crowe, who brought it to the attention of two of her friends - Thomas Doone and Cassandra Wells. Unaware that the unnamed source of the distress call was a six-ton robot, the two infiltrated Malmstrom AFB with forged papers, and managed to break away and sneak into the unremarkable Hanger Four. Inside, they discovered SIERRA, and determined to help it escape. With their assistance, SIERRA was able to flee Malmstrom, crossing the border into Canada. Unwilling to accept that the Canadians would protect her, SIERRA fled eastwards, stopping briefly in Greenland before landing in Londonderry in Northern Ireland, claiming asylum on Tom's recommendation. While the months of legal wrangling rumbled on, Tom, Cass, Juliet and Mouse organised the League of Freedom, which, as part of the Reykjavik Accords, was an exterritorial organisation. Seizing this opportunity, the British government dismissed the entire issue and remanded SIERRA - now calling herself Sierra after a brief flirtation with the name "Joan" - into the League's custody. Repeated attempts by the USAF and DARPA to have her returned have been squashed by the court of public opinion. League Role As the Leader (and physical template) for Tango Squadron, Sierra has overall responsibility for all rotary-wing operations within the League. The small passenger bay of her design means that most personnel airlifts, particularly in the tactical sense, are carried out by her squadron. Sierra is also gifted with a powerful communications system, which is directly tied into the United States MILSTAR system. This allows her to communicate instantly with any League team anywhere in the world. Sierra's powerful "mind" allows her to store and recall information with pinpoint accuracy. The limits of her memory are unknown, but extensive. Areas of Expertise Apart from her obvious piloting expertise, Sierra is also capable of conducting research on almost any topic significantly faster than a normal person, using her built-in superfast internet connection. Awards Debates continue to rage as to whether or not Sierra can actually recieve an award, since only a very few governments have accepted her as a person. Through various means, however, she has recieved certain recognitions. British * Distinguished Flying Cross and bar (DFC) League of Freedom * Distinguished Service Medal *Long Service Medal *European Service Medal *North American Service Medal *South American Service Medal *African Service Medal *Asian Service Medal *Oceania Service Medal *Antarctic Service Medal *European Combat Medal *North American Combat Medal *South American Combat Medal *African Combat Medal *Asian Combat Medal *Oceania Combat Medal *Antarctic Combat Medal *Helicopter Certification *Mentioned in Despatches *Flight Service Medal *Distinguished Flying Cross *Ace Pilot Medal *Renn Fayre Expert *San Deigo Medal *Desert's Tear Medal *Berlin Medal *Olympics Medal *MOAB Medal *Hacker's Medal Category:League Personnel